Toolbox Talks - Three reasons your company needs to have them

If you're not currently giving your employees daily instructions and training, you're in contravention of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). The good news is, it's easy to fix. All you need is 15 minutes a day and knowledge of your company's health and safety procedures....

How many times have you sat on the runway in an airplane and listened to the mandatory safety demonstration? Too many to count, right? Well, did you know that to ensure the health and safety of your employees, Section 8 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act requires you to do something similar: Give short, daily instruction and training on the health and safety regulations in your company.

These ten to 15 minute health and safety training sessions are known in the industry as 'Toolbox Talks' and cover everything from how to avoid common health and safety hazards in the workplace, how to use and look after personal protective equipment (PPE), how to report health and safety hazards, etc.

Apart from ensuring your compliance with the OHSA, says Kerusha Narothan, managing editor of The Health and Safety Advisor, there are three reasons why your company needs to start having Toolbox Talks today.

Toolbox Talks are essential for three reasons…

Your company's safety officer must use the daily Toolbox Talks to:

1.Educate your employees about all aspects of the industry they work in, so they can identifyhealth and safety problems in their work sites.

2.Teach your employees the procedure to reportinghealth and safety hazards so your company's safety officer can take actions to correct them. (In your Toolbox Talks, encourage your employees to use common sense. For example, if a hazard is life threatening, employees must evacuate the area or take steps to correct it, rather than reporting it to the safety officer.)

3.Reveal the steps employees need to take to avoid potentially hazardous situations. For example, one of your Toolbox Talks can revolve around why not wearing eye protection when welding can cause serious damage to your employees' eyes.

Remember, the objectiveof these Toolbox Talks is to 'raise awareness of a particular aspect of the work but to do it on a regular basis so that the good safety message is reinforced,' reports toolboxtalks.ie. So plan your schedule out each month to ensure your safety officer has have enough time to research the health and safety trainingwill be conducting and update your company's health and safety policy.

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